Peccadilloes in Nippon and in Nipponese with a Quixotic Perspective. Coming at you from Yokohama, near Tokyo.

February 19, 2007

Different ways of thinking of the same thing

I asked my students, via worksheet, what they thought the biggest problem facing Japan is. A lot of them said bullying is the biggest one. I personally thought it was the suicide that results from the shame of bullying and getting caught/being bullied, and that Japanese people really need to toughen up and stop being so soft on themselves and their kids. It was just kind of interesting to me how we are two sides of the same coin on this issue. I also think its interesting that there is so much bullying over here when Americans are supposedly more violent. I really do think pride is a useful thing that can protect us; allow us to fight back. But we can all agree junior high is hell.